Management of virtual machine placement in computing environments

ABSTRACT

A method, a system, and a computer program product for managing the resources of a virtual machine on a physical server are provided. The method includes receiving, at a management application, a request to increase a first virtual resource from an initial level to an increased level for a first virtual machine. The first virtual machine is provided by a first physical server in a computing environment. The method also includes determining whether a free virtual resource for the first physical server is sufficient for the request at the increased level. The method also includes increasing, in response to the free virtual resource being insufficient for the request, the first virtual resource.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the field of information processingsystems, and more particularly relates to managing virtual machines on anetwork.

Virtual machines (abbreviated VM herein) may help to more efficientlyuse hardware resources by allowing one computer system to supportfunctions normally performed by multiple separate computer systems. Byvirtualizing a hardware resource, a single hardware resource may supportmultiple virtual machines in a flexible manner that provides improvedutilization of the hardware resource. Further, if a physical processingresource becomes over-utilized, virtual machines may migrate to otherhardware resources that may have processing capacity.

SUMMARY

A method, a system, and a computer program product for managing theresources of a virtual machine on a physical server are provided.

An embodiment of the present disclosure is related to a method. Themethod includes receiving, at a management application, a request toincrease a first virtual resource from an initial level to an increasedlevel for a first virtual machine. The first virtual machine is providedby a first physical server in a computing environment. The method alsoincludes determining whether a free virtual resource for the firstphysical server is sufficient for the request at the increased level.The method also includes increasing, in response to the free virtualresource being insufficient for the request, the first virtual resource.The first virtual resource is increased by selecting a second virtualmachine using a second virtual resource on the first physical server.The first virtual resource is also increased by determining a secondphysical server available to support the second virtual machine. Thefirst virtual resource is also increased by migrating the second virtualmachine from the first physical server to the second physical server.The first virtual resource is also increased by increasing the firstvirtual resource by an amount of virtual resources vacated by the secondvirtual resource.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is related to a system. Thesystem includes a plurality of physical servers operating in a computingenvironment. The physical server is configured to provide virtualresources at an initial level to a plurality of virtual machines. Thesystem includes a cloud controller that manages virtual resources forthe plurality of virtual machines. The cloud controller furtherconfigured to receive a request to increase a first virtual resource toan increased level for a first virtual machine from the plurality ofvirtual machines that is provided by a first physical server from theplurality of physical servers. The cloud controller is configured todetermine whether a free virtual resource for the first physical serveris sufficient for the request at the increased level. The cloudcontroller is configured to increase, in response to the free virtualresource being insufficient for the request, the first virtual resource.The cloud controller is configured to increase the first virtualresource by selecting a second virtual machine using a second virtualresource on the first physical server. The cloud controller isconfigured to increase the first virtual resource by determining asecond physical server available to support the second virtual machine.The cloud controller is configured to increase the first virtualresource by migrating the second virtual machine from the first physicalserver to the second physical server. The cloud controller is configuredto increase the first virtual resource by increasing the first virtualresource by an amount of virtual resources vacated by the second virtualresource.

Another embodiment is directed toward a computer program product.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an operating environment, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a detailed view ofhardware resources from an operating environment, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cloud computing node, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cloud computing environment, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a set of functional abstraction layers provided bythe cloud computing environment, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method for increasing virtualresources for a first virtual machine, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of selecting a virtual machine on a serverby the cloud controller, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method for determining an availabletarget server for a virtual machine, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method for initiating a resizeanalysis, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 10A illustrates an initial utilization of the system, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 10B illustrates one iteration of the secondary VMs being migrated,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 10C illustrates one iteration of the secondary VMs, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 10D illustrates the virtual resources of the first VM beingincreased, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 of managing an increaseof virtual resources for a virtual machine of interest to an increasedlevel, according to various embodiments.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the field of informationprocessing systems, and more particularly relates to managing virtualmachines on a network. A cloud controller receives a request to increasethe size of a virtual machine on a physical server. The cloud controllerdetermines whether the other virtual machines that share virtualresources from the physical server can be migrated to other physicalservers. Assuming that the other virtual machines can be migrated, thecloud controller migrates the other virtual machines to other physicalservers. The virtual resources freed by the migrated virtual machinesare allocated to the virtual machine in the request. While the presentdisclosure is not necessarily limited to such applications, variousaspects of the disclosure may be appreciated through a discussion ofvarious examples using this context.

Virtual machines (VMs) can share access to one or more hardware, orvirtual, resources. Consistent with various embodiments, a hardwareresource can be capable of supporting a particular number of VMs (e.g.,before significant degradation of VM performance). The hardwareresources that support one or more VMs can be distributed throughout anoperating environment. In various embodiments, the hardware resourceincludes one or more processors devoted to processing computerinstructions. For example, a hardware resource can include a processorcore, a network adapter, a server blade, input/output devices, acomputer, a laptop, processing access time to a mainframe, orcombinations thereof. The term virtual resource refers to the resourcesused by the virtual machine. These virtual resources include a hardwareresource from a physical server. Aspects of the present disclosure usethe term virtual resource and hardware resource interchangeably.

FIG. 1 illustrates an operating environment, according to variousembodiments. In particular, FIG. 1 shows an operating environment 100comprising a plurality of hardware resources such as a first hardwareresource 102 and a second hardware resource 104. The term hardwareresource may be used interchangeably with the term physical server.Consistent with embodiments, the hardware resources 102, 104, 106, 111,112, includes (data) server devices, processor cores, I/O devices,storage devices and combinations thereof. Each of the plurality ofhardware resources, e.g., 102, 104, can be communicatively coupled to anetwork 106. The network 106 can refer at least to a data centernetwork, a cloud network, or a cloud-computing network. The network 106has, but is not limited to, a three-tier architecture. Network 106 canuse a variety of protocols and architectures including, but not limitedto, are Ethernet, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), Virtual Layer 2(VL2), PortLand, or BCube.

The network 106 further communicates with a cloud controller 114. Thecloud controller 114 is the front-end system responsible for gatheringand aggregating preliminary data required to start a provisioningprocess. Initially, this information can be provided by an administratoras part of the creation process and is specific to each type of workflowused for provisioning. For example, the cloud controller 114 gathersinformation that includes VM location, class of application (web server,database server, mail server, etc.), and minimum resource requirements.The cloud controller 114 further works with the hypervisors in thehardware resource to manage the placement of virtual machines. The cloudcontroller 114 can also be referred to as a management application orcloud management application. The term computing environment can alsorefer to a cloud computing environment or distributed computingenvironment.

The cloud controller 114 has a placement engine 116. The placementengine 116 controls the placement of virtual machines to a hardwareresource. In various embodiments, the placement engine 116 controls themigration of the virtual machines in a cloud computing environment.Examples of a placement engine may also include an optimization engine,a Backup Recovery Solution (BRS) component, or a Hyper-V® hypervisorcomponent. It can be understood that management tools used in avirtualization management software may implicitly have a placementengine but not necessarily a named component.

The cloud controller 114 also has a VM prioritization module 118. The VMprioritization module 118 determines the priority assigned to a virtualmachine relative to other virtual machines. In various embodiments, thepriority of the virtual machine can be dependent on factors such as apercent utilization of the virtual machine, or of the hardware resource.The VM prioritization module 118 communicates with the placement engine116 to determine where the VM is located within the cloud computingenvironment.

The cloud controller 114 also contains a resource analysis module 120.The resource analysis module 120 analyzes the distribution of virtualresources to the virtual machines. The resource analysis module 120 mayalso be responsible for determining an availability score for hardwareresources that is targeted to accept a VM.

In various embodiments, the one or more virtual machines (VMs) 108, 110can use the hardware resources 102, 104 in the plurality of hardwareresources. The virtual machine is a software-based computer. Virtualmachines may be based on specifications of a hypothetical computer oremulate the computer architecture and functions of a real worldcomputer. Each virtual machine can interface with the hardware resourcethrough the hypervisor. The hypervisor can be software, firmware, orhardware or a combination thereof that is configured to create and runVMs. The hypervisor can map the VM to the hardware resource. A VM canexist in a static configuration where the VM is allocated a set amountof hardware resources. If the VM is in the static configuration, thenthe VM can be defined by two measurements, an allocation of hardwareresources, and a utilization of the allocated hardware resources. In avariable configuration, the VM can be allocated the hardware resourcesat a particular level. Any unused hardware resources can be distributedto other VMs within the network 106. In various embodiments, the totalamount of hardware resources allocated to a plurality of VMs may be morethan the hardware resources provided. The over allocation of hardwareresources may depend on the likelihood of all VMs using the overage atthe same time.

A virtual machine can be migrated from one hypervisor mapped to ahardware resource to another hypervisor mapped to another hardwareresource to allow more virtual machines using fewer hardware resources.As a virtual machine is migrated from one hypervisor to another, then anew switching device that is a part of the new hypervisor can associatewith the migrated VM. The switching device is not moved.

A virtual machine can be deactivated by the cloud controller 114. Invarious embodiments, the network 106 can be turned over/reset atperiodic intervals. For example, the data center network 106 can have apolicy where the network 106 is reset at least once per month. Otherdata center networks can reset the network 106 at different timeintervals, e.g., multiple times per day.

Hardware resource 106 has three virtual machines and a hypervisor. Oneof the virtual machines is the virtual machine of interest. In variousembodiments, the virtual machine of interest can have its hardwareresources increased to an increased level. The virtual machine ofinterest may initiate the increase. When the increase is requested, theother secondary virtual machines, 105, 107, on the hardware resource 106have to be migrated away, resized, or some combination thereof, in orderto allow the virtual machine of interest to have its virtual resourcesincreased. For example, while migrating the secondary virtual machines,105, 107, the virtual machine prioritization module 118 can determinethe priority of the virtual machine, e.g., 105, 107, using performancefactors such as hardware resource usage. In the operating environment100 example, the VM prioritization module 118 prioritizes virtualmachine 105 as a first priority, and the virtual machine 107 on thehardware resource 106 a second priority.

Once the virtual machines 105, 107 are prioritized, the resourceanalysis module 120 evaluates performance factors to determine anavailability score for each hardware resource to which a VM can migrate,e.g., 111, 112. Once the resource analysis module 120 determines theavailability score for each hardware resource, 111, 112, then theresource analysis module 120 can prioritize the hardware resource foreach VM based on the availability score. For example, the virtualmachine 105 may have preference to migrate to hardware resource 112 butnot to hardware resource 111. The resource analysis module 120communicates with the placement engine 116 to migrate the VMs. Aftervirtual machine 105 is migrated to hardware resource 112, then thevirtual machine 107 is migrated to hardware resource 111. Once thevirtual machines 105, 107, are migrated away from the hardware resource106, the virtual resources for the virtual machine of interest can beincreased.

In various embodiments, the cloud controller 114 can monitor all of thevirtual machines and hardware resources in the operating environment 100to determine the most appropriate migrations and resizing for secondaryvirtual machines. For example, the cloud controller 114 can select apath that has the least amount of migrations necessary to accommodatethe increased level of hardware resources for the virtual machine ofinterest. The path is a combination of migrating and resizing virtualmachines in the operating environment 100 for a hardware resource toaccommodate the virtual machine of interest. The path can also includemigrating the virtual machine of interest to a hardware resource withmore virtual resources.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram 200 illustrating a detailed view of ahardware resource, according to various embodiments. The computer 202illustrated in FIG. 2 is an example of an embodiment of the hardwareresources of FIG. 1, such as hardware resources 102, 104. The computer202 has a processor(s) 204 that is connected to a main memory 206, massstorage interface 208, and network adapter hardware 210. A system bus212 interconnects these system components. The mass storage interface208 is used to connect mass storage devices, such as mass (data) storagedevice 214, to the hardware resource 202. One specific type of datastorage device is an optical drive such as a CD/DVD drive, which can beused to store data to and read data from a computer readable medium orstorage product such as (but not limited to) a CD/DVD 216. Another typeof data storage device is a data storage device configured to support,for example, File Allocation Table (FAT)-type file system operations.

Although only one CPU 204 is illustrated for the hardware resource 202,computer systems with multiple CPUs can be used equally effectively.Various embodiments of the present disclosure are able to use any othersuitable operating systems as well. The network adapter hardware 210 isused to provide an interface to one or more networks 106. Variousembodiments of the present disclosure are able to be adapted to workwith any data communications connections including present day analogand/or digital techniques or via a future networking mechanism. Althoughone or more embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in thecontext of a fully functional computer system, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that embodiments are capable of being distributed as aprogram product via CD or DVD, e.g., CD 216, CD ROM, or other form ofrecordable media, or via any type of electronic transmission mechanism.

The main memory 206 can include several software applications such asthose denoted with dashed lines. The main memory 206 can include ahypervisor 224, a virtual machine 108 and a virtual Network InterfaceCard (vNIC) 216. A virtual machine 108 can be a discrete executionenvironment within a single computer to make the computer function as ifit were two or more independent computers. Each virtual machine 108 isassigned the resources it needs to operate as though it were anindependent computer, including processor time, memory, an operatingsystem, and the like. Each virtual machine 108 includes an operatingsystem 218, middleware 220, applications 222, an activation engine 228,and the like. Each virtual machine 108 can support specific guestoperating systems and multiple user sessions for executing softwarewritten to target the guest operating systems. For example, one virtualmachine can support an instance of the Linux® operating system, while asecond virtual machine executes an instance of the z/OS® operatingsystem. Other guest operating systems can also be supported as well.

The hardware resource 202 may also have an operating system that is at alower-level than operating system 218. The hardware resource operatingsystem is a layer of system software that schedules threads and providesfunctions for making system resources available to threads, includingmemory access, access to input/output resources, and the like. Thehardware resource operating system can also control allocation andauthorization for access to computer resources. The hardware resourceoperating system can perform low-level basic tasks such as recognizinginput from a keyboard, sending output to a display screen, keeping trackof files and directories on a magnetic disk drive, and controllingperipheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

The hardware resource operating system is also responsible for security,ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system and thatthreads access only resources they are authorized to access. Operatingsystems useful for scheduling threads in a multi-threaded computeraccording to embodiments of the present disclosure are multi-threadingoperating systems, examples of which include UNIX®, Linux®, MicrosoftNT™, AIX®, IBM's i5/OS™ and many others.

The middleware 220 is software that connects multiple softwareapplications for exchanging data. Middleware 220 can include applicationservers, content management systems, web servers, and the like.Applications 222 are any software programs running on top of themiddleware 220.

A virtual machine 108 can also have an activation engine 228. Theactivation engine 228 can be used by the virtual machine 108 to setaddresses in a static configuration, discussed further herein. Theactivation engine 228 can create, read, and execute metadata specifiedin a configuration. The activation engine 228 is an enablement frameworkused for boot-time customization of virtual images that is processedafter the initial system boot. It is used to customize the configurationsettings of a system by performing functions, such as starting thenetwork interface, creating non-default user accounts along with theirpermissions, and creating new file systems.

The activation engine 228, along with the virtual image templates,allows a system administrator to use a single virtual image as a sourceof deployment for multiple systems that can be customized with their ownparameters, such as network addresses, custom file systems, and useraccounts. The activation engine 228 is fully expandable, which meansthat the default virtual image template can be modified to add customrules, execute custom scripts, or even add new templates that areprocessed at boot time.

The activation engine 228 script can be used to parse the defaultvirtual image template file, process all rules, and execute subsequentscripts that are linked to the processed rules. The activation engine228 supports the XML format of the template, which serves as a launchpad for calling pre-defined or user-created system customizationscripts, with the script parameters being hosted in the virtual imagetemplate. The activation engine 228 can also use comma-separated valueformat, etc. The activation engine 228 can also apply the addressreceived from the cloud controller 114. According to variousembodiments, the activation engine 228 may not be required by thevirtual machine 108 if further customization is not required. Forexample, if the virtual machine uses DHCP and does not need to doanything when it boots, then an activation engine 228 may not even berequired.

The main memory 206 also includes a hypervisor 224. The hypervisor 224is a layer of system software, firmware, or hardware that runs under theoperating system and the virtual machines 108. That is, a hypervisor 224runs between an operating system 218 and underlying hardware resourcesincluding physical processors 204. The hypervisor 224, among otherthings, can manage virtual machines 108. Although only one hypervisor224 is shown, each virtual machine 108 can also have its own hypervisor.

The hardware resource 202 can have a network hardware adapter 210 tomanage the communication between the virtual machine 108 and the network106. The network hardware adapter 210 can be a network interface card oranother device.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of being implementedin conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 3, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 4) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 8 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and virtual machine migration.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 for increasing virtualresources for a first virtual machine, according to various embodiments.The first virtual machine may be hosted by a server of interest, whichis also referred to as the first physical server. The server of interestprovides virtual resources to a plurality of virtual machines, includingthe first virtual machine. A cloud controller receives a request for thefirst virtual machine to have the virtual resources increased to anincreased level. Other virtual machines from the plurality of virtualmachines, besides the first virtual machine (which may also be referredto as selected/second/secondary virtual machines), can be migrated toother physical servers in a cloud computing system or resized, whichfrees up virtual resources for the first virtual machine on the serverof interest. The method 600 begins at operation 610.

In operation 610, the cloud controller receives a request to increasethe virtual resources for a first virtual machine to an increased level.The first virtual machine receives virtual resources from a firstphysical server/hardware resource. An increased level of virtualresources corresponds to more virtual resources than an initial level ofvirtual resources for the first virtual machine. In various embodiments,the request originates from an administrative user and receives a highpriority. The request can also originate from a user from the firstvirtual machine. Once the request is received, then the method 600continues to operation 612.

In operation 612, the cloud controller determines whether the requestfor the increased level of virtual resources is able to be fulfilled bya free virtual resource for the physical server. The cloud controllerexamines the virtual resources allocated to the virtual machines on aphysical server, e.g., the first physical server. The difference betweenthe allocated virtual resources and the total virtual resources on thephysical server may be referred to as the free virtual resources. Thephysical server may have enough free virtual resources to accommodatethe increase of virtual resources for the first virtual machine to theincreased level. In various embodiments, the cloud controller determinesif there are sufficient free virtual resources on the first physicalserver to accommodate the first virtual resource at the increased level.Sufficient free resources may be defined based on the relationshipbetween the free virtual resources and the increased first virtualresource. For example, if the free virtual resources on the first serverare 20 CPU cycles, and the increased first virtual resources require 40CPU cycles, then the free virtual resources would be insufficient forthe increased first virtual resource. If so, then the method 600continues to operation 620. If the physical server does not have enoughfree virtual resources to accommodate the increase of virtual resources(and not be able to be fulfilled), then the method 600 continues tooperation 614.

In operation 620, the cloud controller increases the virtual resourcesof the first VM to the increased level. The virtual resources arereallocated from the free virtual resources of the first physicalserver. Aspects of operation 620 are described further herein. After thevirtual resources are increased, then the method 600 halts.

In operation 614, the cloud controller selects a selected virtualmachine on the first physical server. The selected virtual machine isselected from the plurality of virtual machines other than the firstvirtual machine, i.e., the other secondary virtual machines, that havebeen prioritized based on factors such as resource usage. The termselected virtual machine is also used interchangeably with the termsecond virtual machine. The selected virtual machine is a particular VMthat is selected by the cloud controller on the basis of priority. Theselected virtual machine, once identified, may be used by subsequentoperations further described herein. The second VM can refer to a classof virtual machines rather than a specific virtual machine. For example,a plurality of second virtual machines may be selected by the cloudcontroller at a time.

The cloud controller can have a VM prioritization module configured toprioritize the selected virtual machines on the first physical serverbesides the first virtual machine. The VM prioritization module can useany ranking system to prioritize the other virtual machines. In variousembodiments, more than one selected virtual machine is selected at atime. For example, if two selected virtual machines are selected, thenboth virtual machines may be migrated simultaneously to another physicalserver. Once a selected virtual machine is selected, then the method 600continues to operation 616.

In operation 616, the cloud controller determines an available targetserver for the selected VM. In various embodiments, the cloud controllerqueries the available target server to determine if there are sufficientvirtual resources available for the selected VM. The available targetserver is also referred to as a second physical server and can be usedinterchangeably. The cloud controller may have a resource analysismodule that evaluates the performance factors on the plurality ofphysical servers to produce an availability score that is tailored for aparticular VM.

The performance factors are factors that affect the performance of thephysical server. Performance factors can include resource utilization.The availability score is a weighted score that is determined byweighting the performance factors on the physical server to produce anaggregated-type score. The availability score indicates the availabilityto a particular virtual machine and is described further herein. Theavailable target server is found by analyzing performance factors on aplurality of physical servers. The performance factors may be weighed toproduce an availability score that is tailored for the selected VM. Theavailable target server can be selected from the physical server withthe highest availability score for the selected VM. Once the availabletarget servers are determined, then the method 600 continues tooperation 618.

In operation 618, the cloud controller determines whether an availabletarget server exists. An available target server for a selected VMcorresponds to the existence of a migration path. The migration pathrepresents an ability to migrate a virtual machine to another physicalserver. If there is a lack of an available target server, i.e., anunavailable target server because the available target server does notexist, due to lack of available target servers, then there may not be amigration path. In various embodiments, a lack of available targetservers may be defined by targets servers without an appropriateavailability score. The appropriate availability score may be defined bya range of acceptable availability scores. If the availability score fora physical server is not within the range, then the physical server isnot available to the selected VM. The lack of an available target serverfor the selected VM may trigger a resize analysis for the selected VM.The cloud controller may analyze the secondary VMs on the physicalserver for resizing. This resize analysis determines whether any of thesecondary VMs can be resized without performance degradation. The resizeanalysis continues in reference A and described further herein. Invarious embodiments, the resize analysis is optional. If there is noresize analysis available as an option, then the method 600 halts.

If there is a resize analysis available as an option, then the method600 continues to reference A. As a result of the analysis on referenceA, the method can either halt or continue to operation 624. For example,if the other virtual machines on the first physical server are not ableto be resized, then the method 600 halts. If the other virtual machineson the first physical server are able to be resized, then the method 600continues to operation 624 and the first VM receives increased virtualresources.

If there is not a resize analysis available as an option, then referenceA is optional. The lack of an available target server may also cause thecloud controller to not fulfill the increasing of the virtual resourcesof the first VM and halt. According to various embodiments, themigration is preferred to the resizing of the selected VM because amigrated VM does not suffer any performance degradation whereas theresized VM may have to lower the virtual resources allocated. Once theavailable target server exists, then the method 600 continues tooperation 622.

In operation 622, the cloud controller migrates the selected VM to theavailable target servers. Each migration can vary in terms of time. Forexample, the migration can be a Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM)migration and take place within 2 to 3 minutes. In various embodiments,the migration is iterative meaning that a single selected VM beingmigrated to a single available target server at one time and based onthe change in the physical server hosting the first VM. Iterative canalso mean that a group of selected VMs is migrated to one or moreavailable target servers at one time. The migration of each selected VMto an available target server may take place in parallel to ensure thatthe migration occurs quickly. For example, in a server with 100 VMs tomigrate, 5 VMs can migrate at a time to an available target server asopposed to 1 VM migration at a time.

The migration can also be non-iterative where a plurality of selectedVMs are evaluated to migrate to one or more target servers withoutregard to the changes in the physical server hosting the first VM. In anon-iterative migration, the plurality of selected VMs can be migratedsimultaneously to the target servers. Once the selected VM is migratedto an available target server, then the method 600 continues tooperation 624.

In operation 624, virtual resources equal to the amount of virtualresources used by the migrated VM, i.e., the vacated level of virtualresources, will be freed on the first physical server as a result of themigration. The virtual resources for the first VM are increased by theamount of virtual resources freed by the migration, resizing of theselected VM, or a combination of migration and resizing of the selectedVMs.

In various embodiments, there may be multiple secondary VMs migratedaway from the first physical server in a single iteration. For example,multiple secondary VMs can be selected in operation 614 for migration tomultiple target servers in operation 616. As the virtual resources arefreed on the first physical server as a result of the migration of thesecondary VMs, then the first VM is increased by available resourcesfreed by the amount of each freed resource. The freed virtual resourcesmay immediately be made available to a user.

Once the first VM has its resources increased, then the method 600continues to operation 612. The cloud controller determines whether theoriginal request is fulfilled with the increase of virtual resources inthe first VM to the vacated level. In an example, a request for thefirst VM to increase to an increased level of 11 CPUs from 7 CPUsexists. There is a second VM with 2 CPUs, and a third VM with 5 CPUs onthe first physical server. If the first physical server has a total 15CPUs, then 1 CPU would be unallocated because 14 CPUs are allocated.

In this example, if the second VM is migrated to an available targetserver because the third VM is not able to be migrated, then the firstVM would be allocated the 2 CPUs plus the 1 free CPU on the firstphysical server. Since the first VM is deficient by 1 CPU processingresource, then the third VM must be resized. If neither option isavailable, then the method 600 halts.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 of selecting a virtual machine on aserver by the cloud controller, according to various embodiments. Themethod 700 may correspond to operation 614 from FIG. 6. The cloudcontroller can use a dedicated module such as a VM prioritization moduleto prioritize the virtual machines on a server. The cloud controllerfurther takes the prioritized VMs and selects a VM based on the priorityof the VMs on the server. The method 700 begins at operation 710.

In operation 710, the cloud controller determines the resource usage ofthe VM. The resource usage can be determined by a dedicated module, suchas a resource analysis module. The resource analysis module can beconfigured to monitor the resources of the virtual machine on the firstphysical server. In various embodiments, the first virtual machine, orvirtual machine of interest, is excluded from the monitoring. Theresource analysis module measures the resource usage of a VM. Theresource includes, but not limited to, a CPU processing resource, amemory resource, a network resource, a system time resource, and astorage resource.

The resource usage may be measured on an absolute basis or a relativebasis. For example, on an absolute basis a processing resource for a VMcan measure 1 million CPU cycles/second. However, on a relative basis,the 1 million CPU cycles/second can be 50% of the total CPU processingresource capacity allocated for the VM or 25% of the total CPUprocessing resource for the physical server. Once the resource usage ismeasured for the VM, then the method 700 continues to operation 712.

In operation 712, the cloud controller prioritizes the VMs based on theresource usage. The cloud controller can use a component such as a VMprioritization module to perform the prioritization based on readingsfrom another component, e.g., the resource analysis module. The priorityof the VMs can depend on the system policies. For example, the cloudcontroller can give a high priority to CPU processing resource but a lowpriority to a memory resource. Thus, for a first VM that requests moreCPU processing resources, a selected VM that has a high memory resourceusage but a low processing resource usage would have a lower overallpriority than a third VM that has a low memory resource usage and a highprocessing resource usage. Once the VMs are prioritized, then the method700 continues to operation 714.

In operation 714, the cloud controller selects the VM based on thepriority of the VM. In various embodiments, the selection of the VMs isbased on the number of VMs needed to migrate and the system policy. Forexample, if the VMs are migrated away from the first physical server oneat a time, then there would be only one high priority VM selected. Ifthe VMs are migrated away in groups, then there could be multiple VMsselected.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 for determining anavailable target server for a virtual machine, according to variousembodiments. The method 800 can correspond to operation 616 in FIG. 6.The method 800 involves a determination of the available target serverfor virtual machine by using a weighting function on performance factorsto determine an availability score. The weighting function receivesperformance factors and applies different weights to the performancefactors in order to produce the availability score for the targetserver. The weighting function can be an algorithm or software moduleused by the cloud controller and be described further herein. Once theavailability score for the VM is determined, then the cloud controllerselects the target server based on the availability score. The method800 begins at operation 808.

In operation 808, the cloud controller identifies a selected VM from thefirst physical server. As mentioned herein, the selected VM can bedetermined based on the prioritization of a plurality of VMs.Information regarding the identity of the selected VM can be receivedfrom a VM prioritization module. The selected VM corresponds to theresult from operation 614 in FIG. 6. Once the VM is identified, then themethod 800 continues to operation 810.

In operation 810, the cloud controller determines an availability scorefor one or more target servers to which the selected VM is beingmigrated. In various embodiments, the target server is the same as asecond physical server. The target server becomes an available targetserver based on the availability score, according to variousembodiments. The cloud controller determines the performance factors forthe target servers and applies a weighting function for each of theperformance factors. The performance factors include CPU utilization,memory utilization, disk utilization/bandwidth, networkutilization/bandwidth.

Each performance factor can have a different weight assigned to theperformance factor by the cloud controller/resource analysis module. Theweights for the performance factor depend on the system policy and theproperties of the VM. For example, the cloud controller can assign aweight to the selected VM of 30% for CPU utilization and 60% for memoryand 10% for network bandwidth to emphasize the priority of the memoryvirtual resource followed by the processing virtual resource.

The cloud controller applies a weighing function to the performancefactors of the target servers. In various embodiments, the weights canbe determined from the selected VM using statistical analysis. Forexample, if the selected VM has a CPU utilization of 10 million CPUcycles/second and a memory usage of 3 GB, and a network bandwidth of 2GB/s (compared to an average usage of 12 million CPU cycles/second, amemory usage of 2 GB, and a network bandwidth of 3 GB/s for variousVMs), then the cloud controller can assign a weight of 30% for CPUcycles/second, 60% for memory usage, and 10% for network bandwidth. Theweight assignment can occur due to the selected VM being below averagein CPU usage but above average in memory usage. Therefore, priorityshould be given toward target servers that provide more memory.

In various embodiments, the weight is based off of the % utilization ofthe selected VM's virtual resources. For example, if the VM is using 60%of the memory resource allocated to the VM, 30% of the allocated CPUresource, and 10% of the allocated network resource, then the weightscan be 60% memory, 30% CPU, and 10% network bandwidth.

The weighing function applies the weight to each performance factor onthe target servers to obtain an availability score. The availabilityscore can take into account the virtual resource needs of the selectedVM or produce a raw availability score. Using the aforementionedexample, if there is a target server A that provides 5 GB of memory, 30million CPU cycles, and 10 Gb/s of network bandwidth, and there is atarget server B that provides 60 GB memory, 1 million CPU cycles, and 5Gb/S of network bandwidth, then the availability score can be((30*.3)+(5*.6)+(10*.1))=13 for Server A, and 36.8 for Server B. Thus,target server B has the higher raw availability score.

However, the availability score can also be determined after theselected VM's performance requirements are met. For example, if theselected VM has a CPU utilization of 10 million CPU cycles/second and amemory usage of 3 GB, and a network bandwidth of 2 GB/s, then the targetserver B would be excluded from analysis because target server B doesnot have the necessary processing resources, despite having more memoryresources than target server A. The availability score for target serverA can be (30−10)0.3+(5−3)0.6+(5−2)0.1=7.5 while the availability scorefor target server B is 0 since the processing resource is not satisfied.In various embodiments, the determination of the availability score canoccur on a component basis. For example, the cloud controller recognizestarget server B the processing availability score of 0, the memoryavailability score of 34.2, and the network availability score of 0.3.Once the availability score is determined, then the method 800 continuesto operation 812.

In operation 812, the cloud controller determines whether theavailability score is within a range for the selected VM. The selectedVM can have a range of acceptable values. The range is further comparedto the availability score to determine if the target server isacceptable. For example, in the aforementioned example, if theavailability range is 1-20, and the target server A is measured with anavailability score of 7.5, then the method 800 continues to operation814. If the availability score is outside of the range, then the method800 halts. The cloud controller may initiate a notification to anadministrator that the selected VM cannot be migrated.

In operation 814, the cloud controller selects the target server basedon the availability score. The cloud controller can select the targetserver that has a higher availability score than other target servers.Once selected, the method 800 continues to operation 816.

In operation 816, the cloud controller determines if there are moreselected VMs to migrate. In various embodiments, the VMs are selected ina single fashion. If the VMs are selected one at a time by the cloudcontroller, then operation 816 can be considered optional. However, ifthe VMs are selected as a group in prior operations, then the cloudcontroller determines if there are more selected VMs to migrate. Ifthere are more selected VMs to migrate, then the method 800 continues tooperation 808 where the selected VM is identified and method 800continues. If there are no more selected VMs then the method 800 halts.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method 900 for initiating a resizeanalysis, according to various embodiments. The method 900 continuesfrom reference A in FIG. 6 if an available target server does not exist.The method 900 involves identifying the selected VM, e.g., the selectedVM from operation 614 in FIG. 6, and determining the operatingboundaries of the selected VM, and resizing the selected VM to a viableoperating boundary. The viable operating boundary can be the minimumlevel of virtual resources required by the VM. The viable operatingboundary can be determined by the historical usage of the VM anddescribed further herein. The method 900 starts at operation 908. Inoperation 908, the cloud controller identifies the selected VM. Theselected VM corresponds to the selected VM from operation 614 in FIG. 6.Once identified, the method 900 continues to operation 910.

In operation 910, the cloud controller determines the operatingboundaries of the selected VM. A VM has established operatingboundaries, e.g., a high boundary, a desired operation, and a lowboundary. The operating boundaries may be determined based onstatistical analysis of historical usage data. For example, a VM canperform 70% of its processing in a normal operation and use an averageof 4 million CPU cycles/second. Under a low operating boundary, the VMcan perform 15% of its processing at 2 million CPU cycles/second. Duringa high operating boundary, the VM can perform 15% of its processing at 6million CPU cycles/second. The operating boundaries for each virtualresource can be determined for the selected VM. Once the operatingboundaries of the selected VM are determined, then the method 900continues to operation 912.

In operation 912, the cloud controller resizes the selected VM to aviable operating boundary. The viable operating boundary can be thelowest level of viable usage for the selected VM. In variousembodiments, the viable operating boundary can be defined by athreshold. In various embodiments, operations of the selected VM may berestricted in order to keep the VM in the low operating boundary. Forexample, in a VM resized to the viable operating boundary, the cloudcontroller may attach limitations to the VM to avoid processingintensive tasks. Once the selected VM is resized, then method 900continues to operation 914.

In operation 914, the cloud controller determines whether the firstphysical server can accommodate the first VM at the increased level. Thecloud controller can compare the virtual resources required by the firstVM at the increased level with the amount freed by the resize. In anexample, the first physical server has a capacity of 25 million CPUcycles/second. The first VM is initially allocated 5 million CPUcycles/second and is requested to have 20 million CPU cycles/second atthe increased level. If a selected VM is initially allocated 10 millionCPU cycles/second, but resized to a viable operating boundary of 4million CPU cycles/second, then the amount of unallocated resources is25 million CPU cycles/second−5 million CPU cycles/second−4 million CPUcycles/second=16 million CPU cycles/second. Therefore, the first VM canbe accommodated by the first physical server because 16 million CPUcycles/second available−15 million CPU cycles/second required>0. If thefirst physical server can accommodate the first VM, then the method 900continues to operation 924. In operation 924, the cloud controllerincreases the virtual resources for the first VM to the increased level.If not, then the method 900 continues to operation 916.

In operation 916, the cloud controller determines whether a sufficientnumber of VMs on the first physical server have been resized. Asufficient number of VMs can be a number of VMs that are able to beresized so that the first physical server is able to accommodate thefirst VM at the increased level of virtual resources. A sufficientnumber of VMs can depend on the system policy. For example, if there are5 VMs on the first physical server, and 4 are resized, then the cloudcontroller can determine that there are a sufficient number of VMs thatare resized. If there are 2 VMs resized on the first physical server,and 1 more VM can be resized, then there is not a sufficient number ofVMs resized. If there are not a sufficient number of VMs resized, thenthe method 900 continues to operation 908 where another VM is selected.If there are a sufficient number of VMs resized, then the method 900halts since no more VMs on the first physical server can be resized andno more space can be increased by resizing.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D illustrate migration actions on variousservers in response to an increase in the virtual processing resourcefor a virtual machine, according to various embodiments. A system hasmultiple processing resources, e.g., CPUs, hosted by four servers, e.g.,first server, second server, third server, fourth server, that areshared with virtual machines 1-19. For example, VM1 initially utilizes 8CPUs on the first server while VM19 is utilizes 4 CPUs on the fourthserver. The excess capacity in the first server is being used togradually increase the size of the first virtual machine, e.g., VM1. Thevirtual machines VM2-VM7 are migrating off to target servers. The numberof concurrent migrations can be around 5 migrations occurringsimultaneously, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 10A illustrates an initial utilization of the system. A request forVM1 to utilize more processing resources is received. The cloudcontroller searches the first server for free processing resources toallocate to VM1. Once the free processing resources are allocated toVM1, then the secondary VMs can be selected.

FIG. 10B illustrates one iteration of the secondary VMs, e.g., VM5, VM6,and VM7, being migrated. In various embodiments, the VMs utilizing moreprocessing resources, e.g., VM 5, VM6, and VM7, can be higher prioritythan other VMs, e.g., VM2, VM3, and VM4. Each secondary VM is evaluatedfor a target server based on the availability score described herein.For example, VM7 is evaluated for migration to the second, third, andfourth server. The fourth server may be determined to be available forVM7 based on the availability score. The third server is determined tobe available for VM6, and the fourth server is determined to beavailable for VMS. The placement engine migrates a VM to the free spacewithin a server. For example, VM7 is migrated to the free processingresource on the fourth server. Once migrated, the free processingresources are allocated to VM1 which increases the processing resourcesfrom 11 processing resources to 21 processing resources.

FIG. 10C illustrates one iteration of the secondary VMs, e.g., VM2, VM3,and VM4, according to various embodiments. The secondary VMs aremigrates to the free processing resources on the second, third, orfourth servers. In this example, VM2 is migrated to the second server,VM3 is migrated to the third server, and VM4 is migrated to the fourthserver.

FIG. 10D illustrates the first VM being increased from 21 processingresources to 28 processing resources. The first VM is allocated theprocessing resources freed by VM2, VM3, and VM4. Once increased, thenthe cloud controller determines whether the request for the increase to28 processing resources is fulfilled.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 of managing an increaseof virtual resources for a virtual machine of interest to an increasedlevel, according to various embodiments. A cloud controller may use themethod 1100 to manage the cloud-based computing system to accommodatethe virtual machine of interest. The cloud controller can monitor aplurality of physical servers, e.g., cloud computing nodes, on acloud-based computing system. Each of the physical servers provide anoriginal level of virtual resources to a plurality of virtual machines.The cloud controller can increase the virtual machine of interest to arequested level which may be higher than the original level of virtualresources. Method 1100 begins at operation 1110.

In operation 1110, the cloud controller receives a request for arequested level of virtual resources for a virtual machine of interest.The requested level may be the same as the increased level of virtualresources. The requested level is different than the original level ofvirtual resources for the virtual machine of interest. In variousembodiments, the requested level of virtual resources is lower than theoriginal level of virtual resources. The virtual machine of interest ishosted by a first physical server from the plurality of physicalservers. Once the request is received by the cloud controller, then themethod 1100 continues to operation 1112.

In operation 1112, the cloud controller determines whether the requestcan be fulfilled by the first physical server. The cloud controller canexamine the resources provided by the first physical server to determinewhether the request can be fulfilled. For example, if the virtualmachine of interest request 5 million CPU cycles/second of processingspeed and 4 GB of memory from the first physical server, and the firstphysical server has 40 billion CPU cycles/second and 8 GB of memory,then the request can be fulfilled. If the request can be fulfilled, thenthe method 1100 continues to operation 1120. In operation 1120, thecloud controller can increase the allocation of the virtual resourcesfor the virtual machine of interest to the requested level. If therequest cannot be fulfilled, then the method 1100 continues to operation1114.

According to various embodiments, the cloud controller may develop apath of migrations and resizing. The path results in the VM of interestobtaining the requested level of resources. The path can include anynumber of resizing actions and migration actions for a plurality ofsecondary VMs, i.e., VMs beside the VM of interest. The secondary VMscan include the VMs on a plurality of physical servers. The cloudcontroller can initiate the path with a schedule of actions, i.e., theresizing and migration actions. The schedule of actions indicates thesequence of resizing and migration actions taken on the plurality of VMs

In various embodiments, resizing actions may be preferred over themigration actions due to a resize being faster and more reliable than amigration action because there is no tax on network infrastructure ofstorage fabric. Although the method 1100 illustrates an example of aniterative path, i.e., that the path is executed in blocks of resizeactions and migration actions to determine the effect on the VM ofinterest, the path can be planned/simulated by the cloud controller. Invarious embodiments, the path can result in migration of the VM ofinterest. An example of a path is illustrated in operations 1114 through1124.

In operation 1114, the cloud controller can select a secondary VM to beresized. The selection can incorporate operations from method 900 fromFIG. 9. For instance, the cloud controller can select the secondary VMto be resized based on the analysis of the operating boundaries andselect the secondary VM based on the difference between the viableoperating boundary and a current operating boundary. Thus, a secondaryVM with a large difference may create more unallocated virtual resourcesfor the VM of interest. The unallocated virtual resources are thevirtual resources that are not assigned to other secondary VMs. Invarious embodiments, a secondary VM may also be selected based on theamount of virtual resources allocated. For example, a secondary VM witha high amount of virtual resources allocated can potentially free upmore virtual resources than a secondary VM with a small amount ofvirtual resources. In various embodiments, the secondary VM can beselected randomly. Once the secondary VM is selected, then the method1100 continues to operation 1116.

In operation 1116, the cloud controller can determine whether thevirtual resources for the secondary VM can be resized within anoperating threshold. The secondary VM, or VM, can be resized from a highoperating boundary to a viable operating boundary. To determine whethera VM will be viable, an operating threshold may be utilized. Forexample, if the VM requires an operating threshold of at least 3 billionCPU cycles/second, then any resize less than 3 billion CPU cycles/secondwould not be viable. Each VM may have a different operating thresholdthat depends on the viable operating level for each VM.

If the virtual resources can be resized to within the operatingthreshold, then the VM is resized to the viable operating level which iswithin the operating threshold. Once the VM is resized, then the method1100 continues to operation 1112. In operation 1112, the cloudcontroller determines if the request for the VM of interest can befulfilled by measuring unallocated virtual resources in the plurality ofphysical servers. If the request cannot be fulfilled, then another VM isselected to be resized. If the resources cannot be resized within theoperating threshold, then the method 1100 continues to operation 1118.

In operation 1118, the cloud controller selects more than one secondaryVM to resize. The selection of the secondary VMs can occur in a similarmanner to selecting a single VM to resize in operation 1114. Forinstance, the group of VMs may be selected based on the size orrandomly. The group size of the group of VMs may be determined based ona creation of projected unallocated virtual resources. For example, if agroup of 4 secondary VMs have a difference of 6 million CPUcycles/second after resizing to a viable operating level, and the VM ofinterest requires 5 million CPU cycles/second at the requested level,then an additional secondary VM will not be selected. In anotherexample, if a group of 4 secondary VMs have a different of 6 million CPUcycles/second after resizing to a viable operating level, and the VM ofinterest requires 8 million CPU cycles/second, then the group size isinsufficient.

The secondary VM selected in operation 1114 may be a part of the groupof secondary VMs in operation 1118. In various embodiments, the group ofsecondary VMs may be from the same physical server as the VM ofinterest. The group of secondary VMs can also include a plurality ofsecondary VMs on different physical servers as the VM of interest. Forexample, a group of secondary VMs can include 5 secondary VMs on thefirst physical server and 10 secondary VMs on a second physical server.The first physical server hosting the VM of interest. Once a group ofsecondary VMs are defined, then the method 1100 continues to operation1122.

In operation 1122, the cloud controller may determine whether theresources for the group of secondary VMs can be resized within anoperating threshold. The operating threshold may be an aggregate of allof the individual operating thresholds of the secondary VMs. Forexample, each secondary VM out of the group has an individual operatingthreshold to stay within the viable operating level. The cloudcontroller can ensure that each VM is within the operating threshold forthe viable operating level.

An aggregate resize may be a coordinated transactional resize actionacross the group of VMs. In various embodiments, the cloud controllercan also aggregate the operating thresholds for the group of secondaryVMs. For example, if the group of VMs are to be resized to 10 millionCPU cycles/second across all of the VMs, then individually each VM maybe resized in a different proportion of resources. In this example, thecloud controller may determine that the operating threshold is 10million CPU cycles/second for the group of VMs.

In this example, the resize may leave some secondary VMs to be resizedpast the operating threshold while leaving other secondary VMs to beresized within the operating threshold. The cloud controller may allowthe resized group of secondary VMs to share the same resources in sothat the resized secondary VMs do not get resized past the operatingthreshold.

If the group of secondary VMs cannot be resized within the operatingthreshold, then the method 1100 continues to operation 1112. Inoperation 1112, the cloud controller determines whether the request toincrease the virtual resources for the virtual machine of interest. Ifnot, then more secondary VMs can be resized. If the group of secondaryVMs can be resized within an operating threshold, then the method 1100can continue to operation 1124.

In operation 1124, the cloud controller can migrate secondary VMs todifferent physical servers. The migration may be similar to themigration in FIG. 8. The migration may also be for the path and involvemultiple migrations. In various embodiments, the cloud controller canmigrate a plurality of virtual machines to the plurality of physicalservers with sufficient unallocated virtual resources in order toaccommodate the virtual machine of interest. For example, if the cloudcontroller resizes 5 secondary VMs on the first physical server, andresizes 4 VMs on the second physical server, then the can migrate 1secondary VM server on the first physical server to the second physicalserver and accommodate the virtual machine of interest.

In each migration, the cloud controller may determine whether thevirtual machine of interest is able to be migrated to a second physicalserver from the plurality of servers, and migrate the virtual machine ofinterest to the second physical server. For example, if 4 secondary VMsare resized on the first physical server that is insufficient to createenough unallocated virtual resources for the VM of interest, and 5secondary VMs are resized on the second physical server sufficient tocreate enough unallocated virtual resource for the VM of interest, thenthe VM of interest migrates to the second physical server. Once themigration occurs, then the method 1100 continues to operation 1112.

The implementation of the schedule of resize actions and migrationactions can be considered implementing the path for the secondaryvirtual machines on the plurality of physical hosts. Once the requestfor the increase in virtual resources to the requested level can befulfilled in operation 1112, then the increase of the virtual resourcesto the requested level for the virtual machine of interest can occur inoperation 1120.

In various embodiments, the cloud controller may predict the number ofmigrating and resizing actions, i.e., the schedule of actions, thatdefine a path. Once the number of migration and resizing actions ispredicted, then the path can be validated against an action threshold.For instance, when predicting one or more paths, the cloud controllermay select the path that results in the fewest number of scheduledactions. The cloud controller can also utilize the action thresholdvalues to ensure that the paths are under the schedule of actions thatwould degrade system performance. For example, the action threshold maybe 5 resizing and migration actions. If the schedule of actionsindicates that there are 4 paths with one path having 6 resizing andmigration actions, then the one path may be eliminated as an option. Theaction threshold may be formulated by a cloud computing administratorbased on projected performance.

The present disclosure may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a plurality of physicalservers operating in a computing environment, a physical serverconfigured to provide virtual resources at an initial level to aplurality of virtual machines; a cloud controller that manages virtualresources for the plurality of virtual machines, the cloud controllerfurther configured to: receive a request to increase a first virtualresource to an increased level for a first virtual machine from theplurality of virtual machines that is provided by a first physicalserver from the plurality of physical servers, determine whether a freevirtual resource for the first physical server is sufficient for therequest at the increased level, and increase, in response to the freevirtual resource being insufficient for the request, the first virtualresource by: selecting a second virtual machine using a second virtualresource on the first physical server, determining a second physicalserver available to support the second virtual machine, migrating thesecond virtual machine from the first physical server to the secondphysical server, and increasing the first virtual resource by an amountof virtual resources vacated by the second virtual resource.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the selecting the second virtual machineincludes: determining a virtual resource usage of a plurality of virtualmachines on the first physical server; prioritizing the plurality ofvirtual machines based on the virtual resource usage; and selecting thesecond virtual machine based on the priority.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the selecting the second virtual machine based on the priorityincludes: selecting a plurality of second virtual machines based on apriority.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud controller isconfigured to increase the first virtual resource by: determiningwhether the second physical server is available; and performing a resizeoperation in response to the second physical server being unavailableby: determining a viable operating boundary of the second virtualresource for the second virtual machine, resizing the second virtualmachine to the viable operating boundary of the second virtual resource,and increasing the first virtual resource by a difference between thesecond virtual resource and the viable operating boundary of the secondvirtual resource.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining thesecond physical server available to support the second virtual machineincludes: weighing performance factors on one or more servers for thesecond virtual machine; producing a server availability score for one ormore servers based on the weighing; selecting the second physical serverbased on the server availability score.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein selecting the second physical server includes: determiningwhether the server availability score is sufficient for the server,selecting the second physical server from the one or more servers basedon the server availability score in response to the server availabilityscore being sufficient for the server.
 7. A computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage device having a computer readableprogram stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, whenexecuted on a computing device, causes the computing device to: receive,at a management application, a request to increase a first virtualresource from an initial level to an increased level for a first virtualmachine that is provided by a first physical server in a computingenvironment, determine whether a free virtual resource for the firstphysical server is sufficient for the request at the increased level;and increase, in response to the free virtual resource beinginsufficient for the request, the first virtual resource by: selecting asecond virtual machine using a second virtual resource on the firstphysical server, determining a second physical server available tosupport the second virtual machine, migrating the second virtual machinefrom the first physical server to the second physical server, andincreasing the first virtual resource by an amount of virtual resourcesvacated by the second virtual resource.
 8. The computer program productof claim 7, wherein the computer readable program causes the computingdevice to: increase the first virtual resource to the increased level inresponse to the free virtual resource being sufficient for the request.9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computerreadable program causes a computing device to increase the first virtualresource and subsequent to the computer readable program causing theincrease in the first virtual resource, the computer readable program isconfigured to cause the computing device to increase the first virtualresource by: selecting a third virtual machine using a third virtualresource on the first physical server in response to an increased firstvirtual resource being insufficient for the request; identifying a thirdphysical server available to support the third virtual machine;migrating the third virtual machine from the first physical server tothe third physical server; increasing the first virtual resource by anamount of the third virtual resource.
 10. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein identifying the third physical server includesidentifying the second physical server.